ST. LOUIS — A St. Louis city leader frustrated with the police response to rising crime called Tuesday on residents to arm themselves to protect their lives and property.

Alderman Charles Quincy Troupe said police are ineffective, outnumbered or don't care about the increase in crime in his north St. Louis ward. St. Louis has had 157 homicides in 2008, 33 more than last year at this time."The community has to be ready to defend itself, because it's clear the economy is going to get worse, and criminals are getting more bold," Troupe, 72, said Tuesday.

Troupe said that when he and residents approached a district police commander last year, they were told "there was nothing he could do to protect us and the community ... that he didn't have the manpower."

Police did not immediately return requests for comment. Chief Dan Isom told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch he understands Troupe's frustration but doesn't support citizens arming themselves.

Carrying guns, he said, is not a "recipe for a less violent community."

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,460725,00.html

patriot45

12-02-2008, 10:59 PM

Police did not immediately return requests for comment. Chief Dan Isom told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch he understands Troupe's frustration but doesn't support citizens arming themselves.

We cant protect you and you are forbidden to protect yourself! Is this Change we can believe in!

But our lib rag pointed out that we're improving. A couple years ago we were #1, not an enviable distinction.

I know the cops--they're customers. They're good, hard-working guys. The area they're talking about is a no-man land. No one could keep law and order there. I'm terrified to drive in that area. In fact, I won't. I have accounts there but do business via fax, email, phone, no personal sales calls.

Gingersnap

12-03-2008, 12:11 AM

But our lib rag pointed out that we're improving. A couple years ago we were #1, not an enviable distinction.

I know the cops--they're customers. They're good, hard-working guys. The area they're talking about is a no-man land. No one could keep law and order there. I'm terrified to drive in that area. In fact, I won't. I have accounts there but do business via fax, email, phone, no personal sales calls.

Generally speaking, it's not a problem to go to these types of areas in the morning. You have park defensively, of course.

For the residents, however, it's a different story. Most of the violence is directed by residents toward residents. Often, one friend or family member is responsible for bringing the violence to completely innocent people. In those cases, armed is better than unarmed.

The police simply can't be everywhere and they are never, ever on the spot when a home intrusion or other violent crime occurs. The police exist to gather evidence and present a case in court after the fact. The Supreme Court has long decided that the police have no duty to "protect" citizens.

While mere gun ownership may not prevent a violent crime, the idea of a lot of armed people tends to have something of a deterrent effect. Denver has bizarre gun ownership/transportation edicts. Denver has a lot of gun crime. Where I live you can open carry just about anyplace or get a CCW just for paying for it and taking a one night class. We have almost no gun crime. Not because we don't have bad people but because those people have easier targets. ;)

Dan D. Doty

12-03-2008, 01:11 AM

Sorry to say, but St. Louis has a few Moonbat enclaves that want citizens to be unarmed ( The goofs who call themselves The Culture Squad, The Mad Russian and his butt buddies) and treat criminals as victims as soon as they are caught.

A lot of decent people have fled St.Louis for St.Charles and Jefferson County; the control freaks who run St.Louis have made living there .... diffcult.